Alegria – Trust, Teamwork and Dedication

June 18, 2011

Photo: Harry Wad

Thursday night I went to see Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria. It was an amazing show to watch. I’m actually not certain that words could truly describe it. What constantly struck me about the show, though, was the level of trust required by all involved. Their lives are literally in each other’s hands with every movement.

The next thing that struck me was the amount of teamwork it took to perform, and to ensure that no one got hurt.

Another big aspect was the amount of dedication to practice and honing their craft.

It made me think about those same concepts within my own life, both personally and professionally. Though I do work to hone my professional knowledge, and I am in constant learning from a spiritual and esoteric perspective – I don’t dedicate myself to anything in the way those performers do!

Then, of course, comes the question – Should I?

I think those performers are unique individuals with a particular type of drive. And I don’t really have that sort of drive, at least not in that way. I pursue the activities I want to pursue to the point that I’m happy pursuing them, or learning them.

But the more I considered the “Should I” question, I thought about the many years I’ve dedicated to the study of particular subjects. It’s a slow and steady course that will probably last my entire life. And in reality, is that any different from what those young performers have done in a much more compact and short time frame? Perhaps – but I’m ok with that.